Measuring Risk to Improve Java Software Quality

Overview: Resources to ensure the quality of a software project are nearly always limited. In order to prioritize testing, reengineering, and bug fixing efforts, it is critical to be able to identify the potential risks within Java classes, methods, or projects. This paper discusses the Risk Metric, which objectively measures the risk of software as a function of two critical factors: code complexity and test coverage.

Knowing the risk metric values, Java development teams can focus efforts on the classes, methods and projects where risk is highest. This approach results in the highest possible quality levels while ensuring the best use of scarce development and testing resources.